Void
by BeExcellentToEachOther
Summary: Kea is considered by many a prodigy, and after being assigned to teach a young girl named Sera how to Earthbend, they both find out they are in for a surprise.
1. Kea

**Chapter 1 - Kea**

"Okay sweetie, it's time to get up. Master Yong is waiting for you in the academy." Kea's mother said from the living room. Kea was awake, but he really didn't want to get out of bed.

"Why do I need to go? I graduated already. I'm better than the other students and I don't really feel like it," he retorted weakly.

"Come on Kea, now's not the time to be lazy. I know you never liked going to school, but Master Yong has personally requested for you to teach along side him. You're sixteen now, plenty old enough to earn some money while you're at it."

Learning didn't motivate him, and teaching really didn't motivate him. Truth be told, he was never a very excited person. The last time he ever truly felt exitement was six years ago when the war had ended. Now that peace was in place and the avatar was about his normal duties, everything became boring.

_Do I have to? I've been going there for five years already. And now he wants me to teach? He better have a good amount of money for me._

"…ugh…fine," he sighed, rolling out of bed and throwing on his simple peasant's garb. He could wear his uniform, but he was tired of seeing that thing. So instead, he just put on some sandals and his basic attire and headed out after getting a drink of water.

"Be safe hon," Kea's mother sang as he left his house.

_She's always like that. _he thought to himself as he walked down the main streets of Ba Sing Se. He liked his home city, but once again, he found it boring.

"Good morning Kea," an elderly man called from his left. He chose to ignore the elder and instead focused on lumbering to the academy. It wasn't too far away, just a fifteen minute walk. "Okay then," the elder mumbled when Kea didn't reply. People were always like this. They didn't know why they bothered with this unmotivated, disrespectful kid. He imagined they just did it to be nice, but he didn't care about that. He was only concerned with himself and doing what he wanted to do (which usually meant sitting around and staring at the wind chimes in his mother's house). Luckily, his mother was around to prod him in the right direction.

"You'll thank me later," is what she'd always say.

After a short walk, Kea ended up within the walls of the academy. The place was built right after the war and so far was the Earth Kingdom's main means of educating its young earth benders. After entering the large halls, he walked straight into the ring of the academy, better known as The Gauntlet.

_Great, back where I started, _He thought with a sigh. He could see eleven earth benders doing their morning drills. It always started off this way. They would begin by doing their forms perfectly, followed by lifting small rocks and then eventually shifting large boulders.

Kea watched intently for a short while, seeing the eleven students trying their best to learn their art. Ten of them were doing well, but the eleventh…she was pathetic. The eleventh was a small girl and although she did her forms properly, she couldn't even get the earth beneath her feet to shift. The others were lifting and moving stones throughout the air whilst she couldn't even make stones pop out of the ground. He could see the frustration on her face. Strangely, she bore a small resemblance to the legendary Toph. Black hair with green clothes, and an intense look about her.

"Ah, Kea! Good to see you accepted my invitation!" the loud voice of Master Yong rang in his hear from his left side. Kea didn't have trouble holding in the enthusiasm that wasn't there.

"Ugh…Master Yong. I didn't exactly come down here because I wanted to. I graduated from the advanced course a week ago, and now you've summoned me here. Why?"

Master Yong held a face of disappointment for a few seconds, but then brought his trademark smile on. "Isn't it obvious? You, my best student, are going to teach with me."

Kea's eyes scanned the students. They were all green behind the ears and although they grasped a simple stuff easily, they were far from even passing their beginners exams.

"What's in it for me?"

"Hmm…well first, the honor of teaching in this prestigious school…and of course, good pay for as long as you're here."

That hooked him.

"Master Yong, what will you have me do?"

The master looked to his students and eyed them carefully.

"Well, as you probably noticed, I've got my hands full. Most of them are ready to begin practicing for their beginner's exam. But…." Kea saw where this was going. "The last one, the girl, she needs some serious tutoring. I don't know what it is, but her parents believe she is an earth bender. I haven't seen her make anything move though. I want you to take her under your wing. You grasped earth bending faster than any student I've had. So this should be cakewalk for you."

_Greaaat, now I get to teach the inept. _Kea cursed himself inside for showing up. Not only did he have to teach a brand new student, but he had to teach a girl with no skill at all.

"…Alright master, whatever you say." With that, the young man stepped forward and pointed to the little girl practicing on the sidelines. She looked at him for a moment with a blank stare as he pointed. He looked so serious to her. She stopped practicing her forms and pointed at herself questioningly and he nodded.

_And she's a dimwit._

The girl immediately dropped what she was doing and walked over to him. As she got closer, he looked her up and down.

_Not very impressive._

"What's your name?" Kea asked, keeping his normal bored tone.

"…S-Sera." she stuttered. She stared him in the eye as if expecting him to attack her.

"Hmph, Sera huh? Are you sure you're an earth bender?" he asked with scrutiny.

"I believe so, master," she replied.

"Don't call me master. Call me Kea." He demanded. He motioned for her to walk with him towards the outskirts of The Gauntlet. As they did, he looked at her again. She was small, and looked very fragile.

"The reason I ask," he spoke as they stopped at their destination. "Is because you seem to be unable to do even basic earth bending."

Sera looked at her feet for a brief moment, not sure how to answer. She didn't like it when her flaws were pointed out. Kea watched her do this, definitely not impressed.

"…I'll tell you what Sera. I'm going to leave now. Tomorrow I'll begin training you, but not here."

"What?" she asked, looking him in the eye again.

"As I said, we'll train, but not here. I want to take you somewhere where the other students won't bother you. Besides, you're my pupil now, so I get to decide where we train." He didn't know where his authoritative manners were, but they somehow came out. This was going beyond his normal comfort zone.

"O-okay Kea," she answered.

"We'll start at eight tomorrow outside the gates of Ba Sing Se. There's a small hill roughly half a mile from the main gate. You can't miss it. I'll see you there."

He watched as she reached in her pockets for anything to write on. Eventually, she gave up, huffing a bit in frustration as she brushed her hair out of her face.

"Alright Kea." she almost whispered.

With a nod, Kea turned and walked away, leaving her to train with the other students. Master Yong watched, but didn't say anything as the new teacher left The Gauntlet.

_I don't know where I'm going with this, but if she's an earth bender, I will teach her._

**Whew. Done with the first chapter. Please R&R. I know it's a bit weak right now, but I'm always bad at beginning a story. =3**


	2. Sera

** Lady Violet Fire: The time line is six years after Ozai's defeat. Basically the world is still in repair. =D**

**Chapter 2 - Sera**

Her feet hurt a lot as she stumbled up the hill that she quickly named "Hell Hill". It was a small hill, but it was steep and difficult to climb. Atop she could see Kea staring down at her with his usual blank face. Only the first day and he was having her exhaust herself by climbing this crazy mountain! It upset her a lot, especially due to the fact that she wasn't very strong.

"You know Sera, if you could earth bend, you'd be able to scale this hill in a second flat," Kea called out, watching her slow progress. He definitely wasn't impressed.

"That's why you're supposed to train me, dummy!" she retorted, sliding back a few paces due to the loose scree beneath her feet. "Rrr! Can't we do something else?" she yelled up at him.

_So, she's inept and she has a temper. Great._

"I'll tell you what," Kea answered, taking in a deep breath. "I'll help you up here, but only if you do your best when your training actually begins."

It was an easy choice to make. If she wanted to learn, she had to get up this blasted hill, and she wasn't going to make it in her current physical state. She'd need to practice climbing A LOT to get up this thing without earth bending.

"F-fine."

Kea huffed at her, stomping the ground. The stomp, though small, sent the earth beneath Sera to shoot up from the ground, sending the small girl into the air. Sera screamed in surprise as she landed on the hilltop beside her new teacher. The landing wasn't soft at all, her hands getting scraped on the rocks.

"Hey! Tell me when you do that next time!" Sera said through gritted teeth.

"Hey, maybe you should learn to earth bend your way up this hill." Kea snapped back.

_What's his problem? Is he always this irritated?_

_What's her problem? Is she always this stupid?_

"Hmph! You don't think I can just because I'm this small, don't you?" Sera asked begrudgingly.

"Wait, what? No!"

"But that's what you're thinking. Just so you know, I may be small, but I'm plenty old enough to learn earth bending. It just doesn't come so easily to me."

_More like it doesn't come to you at all._

"Wait, how old are you anyway?" he asked as he pointed at her.

"Fifteen."

"Whoa…hold on! I was about to graduate when I was fifteen! And that was only two months ago! Are you seriously telling me that you waited until fifteen to begin your training?"

"It wasn't my decision! My mom didn't want me going to the academy earlier on!" Sera defended herself poorly, but she still tried. She didn't like this guy at all, even if he was her teacher.

A silence followed suit, both of them locking glares as the wind blew ever so slightly.

_A fifteen year old, barely younger than me, and just starting her earth bending training. This is sad._

At first, it seemed like neither one was about to drop their stare, until a few seconds later, Sera looked down at her feet.

"Let me guess-" she began.

"I don't think you're really an earth bender," Kea finished.

"I knew it."

"Then why didn't you explain that to your family?" he prodded.

"Well, that's the thing. They don't even know if I am or not. They think I'm stunted or something."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kea asked. There he goes again, moving way out of his comfort zone. And once again, he didn't know where this was going.

"There's not much to say," Sera mumbled as she sat down on the top of Hell Hill. "My mom and dad aren't earth benders, so they generally do labor around the city and make a normal living. I grew up with some kind of…sense. It was like I could feel everything…and nothing all at the same time. When I told my parents, they got excited and sent me to the academy."

_A sense huh? She's not making much._

"I see," he lied. "Well, if you must know, you are failing horribly at being an earth bender. Being able to feel everything around you is what I call having a good intuition…and that's it. Come on…show me your forms and we'll start from there."

He held out his hand, something he had never done for anyone before. Sera just looked him up and down for a brief moment, then smiled as she grabbed his hand.

And from there, the journey begins.

**Kind of another intro, this chapter just covers the two a little better. Please review! =D**


	3. Mysterious Power

**Chapter 3 - Mysterious Power**

It has been a week since the beginning of Sera's training, and already improvements were being made. Every day they would go to the top of Hell Hill and although she couldn't make her way up the hill quickly, she eventually made it to the top without help. Even better, when she did her forms, Kea could see some of the stones surrounding her slightly lift up off the ground, but only slightly.

"You're making progress," Kea stated matter-of-factly. Sera only nodded in acknowledgment. She could feel herself getting more in-tune with the earth, but even so, she felt more and more empty as she did so. It was a strange feeling, but she figured it was part of the training.

"What are we doing today Kea?" Sera asked, looking up at the young man who stood at least a foot taller.

"Hmm…well, we've been training pretty hard. I'd say today is time for a break," he answered lazily. He sat down and looked back at the gargantuan walls of Ba Sing Se. The honest truth was that he didn't want to do anything today, not that he ever wanted to do anything any day. But today was especially the case.

"R-really?" the young girl sounded shocked, as if hearing a godsend. Her teacher didn't reply, but just let the breeze blow his hair around. Sera looked him over, waiting for him to say anything.

"What is it?"

"W-well…you see. If we're having the day off…I thought you might want to come by my place," Sera ventured. Kea snapped his head to look at her, a questioning stare etched on his face.

"Say what?"

"My mother…she wants to meet you is all. If you don't want to, that's fine," she muttered under her breath.

_Do I really want to do that? I suppose I should, even if I don't want to. Should have seen this coming._

"So you've talked about me then?"

"Yeah. I've told her about you, so she wants to meet the teacher."

"I see. Well," he grunted as he stood back up, dusting himself off lackadaisically. "Let's get this over with."

If only Kea could see the brightened look Sera showed for even a moment, he might just turn away in embarrassment.

"Great! Let's go!"

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Meanwhile, within the walls of the city, in an unnamed alley where the shadows stood tall, two men met in the center. Both of them wore dusty garbs, neither looking especially distinguished. Even still, an air of importance arose from their presence.

"Is he sure about this?" The first man asked. He had short, wavy hair that marked his youth. He was barely older than Kea, and he was as scrawny as a musician. The other man, an elder with a long beard and a bald head, didn't say anything, just held out his right hand, a brown sack clutched in his fingers.

The younger man accepted the package, opening it slightly to look inside.

"What is it?" he asked, looking back at the elder.

"It's a brand new tool to our arsenal. For some reason, our master believes in the legends from over a thousand years ago. It is said that there is a power far beyond the reach of even the avatar. This tool will allow you to find this power."

"Wow…you couldn't have been more vague, could you?" the young man replied as he looked back into the sack. What emanated from it was the scent of dirt and something else that he couldn't place. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Simple, carry it around with you wherever you go. Our master says that it will pull and tug towards the source of the power he is seeking. When you approach it, it will do the rest."

"And what is this…power exactly?"

The elder held his clothes tighter as he gazed up at the sky.

"I'm not sure. But if the avatar doesn't even possess it, it must be something special. Our master will know what to do when the power is found."

The younger man rubbed the back of his neck before tying the sack to his belt.

"I hope he knows what he's talking about. I've got the feeling I'll be walking around for a while. Maybe even forever."

"Not according to our master. Just carry out the task and enjoy your time here in Ba Sing Se. If you need me, I'll be around."

With that, the elderly man turned and walked off, officially breaking their meeting. The younger of the two touched the brown sack attached to his belt, wondering if he was looking at a wild goose chase.

_I feel like I'm looking for a needle in a haystack._

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Sera and Kea practically marched through the streets, at least to Kea's standards. Sera set a fast pace, much to Kea's irritation. He preferred to take things nice and easy. This was not easy.

"You know, for a shorty, you've got a lot of energy," Kea reported as Sera lead the walk.

"No, you're just too slow," was the answer. They turned a left corner and headed along another one of the long streets of the great city. The two had been walking for at least twenty minutes. He was definitely far from his own house, but it didn't bother him one bit. The last thing he wanted was for his mother to see him walking around Ba Sing Se with a girl. He would never hear the last of it.

"How much further until-" Kea was cut off as Sera turned right and walked up a set of stairs to a doorway.

"Here we are," Sera said as she opened the door to her home. Kea just smirked and shook his head as they entered the abode. When he looked inside, he felt instantly at home. It was a strange sensation as he took in the whole place with a single breath. It smelled of oranges and cinnamon, the floor completely spotless and the living arrangements soft to the eye. To his right was a table with four seats surrounding it and to his left was a higher table with six seats surrounding it. In front of him was a short hall that lead to three rooms in the back.

"Mom! I'm home!" Sera called out, standing next to Kea near the doorway. It didn't take long before Kea could hear shuffling and a pair of footsteps approaching. Out of the third room, a middle-aged woman appeared, wearing the normal every-day earth kingdom's clothing. She smiled genuinely as she "inspected" Kea.

"Oh my, and who's this, your boyfriend?" she asked, laughing with a hand over her mouth.

_I saw this coming from a mile away. _Kea smacked his forehead with his palm.

"What? No! Mom! This is my teacher!" she outraged, pointing at Kea as if he were some random person on the road.

"Haha…I'm only teasing dear. And my, what a handsome teacher you have. It's not often we have a boy as young as yourself instructing at the academy," Sera's mother laughed some more. "My name is Elsa, Sera's mother."

"Kea," he responded as he bowed in respect.

"I know who you are," she said as she looked him up and down again. "I work with your mother."

_Greeeeeeaaaaaatttt! Now I can't hide no matter what I do!_

"I..I see."

Sera looked between Elsa and Kea. She didn't like where this was going.

"Mom, can we leave now?"

"Oh, why Sera? I think you and your teacher should stay for lunch." Elsa replied with a gleeful smile.

"Oh that's okay ma'am. We were just going downtown to the Jade Dragon for lunch. She's been making progress and today we're celebrating." Kea answered quickly. Sera was grateful for that, because she definitely didn't know what to do.

"Ah, okay. Well maybe some other time then. You both have fun," Elsa laughed again. She had a strange sense of humor it seemed, because everything was funny to her.

At that, they turned and walked out, Elsa waving goodbye as they stepped back into the streets. Both turned right, heading toward the center of the city where they'd go for lunch.

"Thanks for saving me back there. That was smooth," Sera grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I saved myself. It was getting a bit uncomfortable," Kea chuckled. It was the first time Sera saw him find anything funny. But it was okay, because it seemed more natural that way.

"To the Jade Dragon then?"

"Mhm," was his answer. As they moved through the city, they passed a young man in brown clothes, not noticing the shocked expression he gave as he let them move on.

_What the hell?_

**That's the end of chapter 3! Please review =D.**


	4. Discovery

** Lady Violet Fire: Is Sera the Avatar? No…it's something even better. Thanks for your reviews! =D**

**Chapter 4 - Discovery**

"What did you just say? You found something?" The elderly man asked, almost dropping his tea cup.

"Yeah, it was sudden and small, but the tool you gave me reacted! I was just taking a stroll about an hour after you gave me this thing, and I passed a couple heading through the city. And as they passed, it tugged towards them."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Do you know which one it moved for?"

The younger of the two shook his head. "No, but it's one of them. I overheard them talking about the Jade Dragon."

"Then I guess that's where we're headed. I think between the two of us we can handle a couple of kids. Even if one of them holds the power our master is looking for, we need to be careful. The owner of the Jade Dragon is none other than the uncle of Firelord Zuko. He's arguably the most powerful fire bender in the world. So we need to make sure we make this quick."

"What are we going to do?"

The elder took one last sip before standing up and walking out of the small tea shop he was lounging in. As they moved onto the road, he revealed his plan.

"We're going to kidnap the one that holds the power. Whatever it may be."

"I know I asked this before, but what power is that exactly?" the younger man asked, taking a drink from his animal skin canteen.

"Our master says it is the power to control a dormant force within our universe. Supposedly, it's unlike any other. We'll find out soon enough what it is. But until we do, it's all speculation."

_Again, more vague answers._

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The Jade Dragon was spectacular to say the least. The tea shop was the size of a dojo, and inside were forty low-set tables with pillows for seats. As Kea and Sera entered, they were greeted by the famous Iroh. Kea was impressed.

"Greetings young friends. Please seat yourselves and make yourselves at home," Iroh smiled, motioning to the forty tables available. Sera and Kea nodded and sat themselves near one of the windows.

"Wow…this place is…wow." Sera said in awe. The walls were decorated with dragon statues made of jade, the ceiling decorated with lights of every kind. The floor itself had small dragons etched in it by children who had come and gone over the past few years. In moments, tea was brought to them on small plates that were painted with white lotus flowers.

"Thanks," they said simultaneously. Iroh laughed heartily as he began reciting poems out loud, tending to his other customers. Today was seriously light in business, but that didn't seem to hurt the tea shop at all.

"So, about your training," Kea began after a short silence enveloped them. The atmosphere was perfect for discussing future matters.

"Hmm?" Sera replied as she took a long sip while looking to her teacher.

"You're finally beginning to make rocks move around you. So I think you're finally starting to get it. Do you feel any different?"

"…Kind of. I don't feel any more attached to it, but I guess I'm doing something right."

"Strange. When I learned, I could feel the earth becoming part of me more and more. You don't feel that way?"

"Nuh uh," she answered, taking another sip. Her tea was a ginger tea…and it was delicious. She didn't want to think on training, but she guessed it was unavoidable.

"Hmmm…well either way, you're getting better. Hopefully in the next week you'll be able to manipulate stones," was what he finished with as he downed the last of his tea. He held up his cup and one of Iroh's employees came quickly, refilling the cup with grace. He thanked the lady and took another sip. It was then that he noticed something off. He didn't know when they showed up, but two men were now sitting just four tables in front of him. Both wore brown, shabby clothes. One was quite young and the other was very old. Neither of them spoke, just sipped tea feverishly.

_What are they doing? Something's wrong._

He looked to his right where Sera was sitting. She was too occupied with her drink to notice the odd pair in front of them. He looked back at the two men ahead, and just as he was about to dismiss them, they stood and turned to face them.

_Okay, something's definitely wrong._

Kea reached into his pocket where from he pulled out a small rock. He felt something dangerous about them. And it was a good thing he came prepared for what happened next. The young earth bender scanned the room. Iroh had just stepped out and two of the customers left, leaving only the four of them in the room. The timing was perfect.

The two brown-clothed men approached slowly. The younger of the two looked at Sera, then Kea, his face grim and his hands cracking their knuckles. Sera then noticed them, putting down her tea cup.

"How can I help you?" Kea broke the silence. The elder spoke first, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Terus, which one is it?" he asked, looking at the younger man. The younger man looked down at his belt and examined the small sack attached. It was pulling towards the small girl sitting with a confused look about her.

"It's her." the young man said, pointing at Sera.

Sera shifted in her seat, looking at the two men with even more confusion. Kea was priming himself for a fight, his body becoming completely relaxed as he moved his right arm in front of his student.

"What do you want with her?" Kea asked, his tone becoming low and dangerous. He was about to see if his training with Master Yong was worth the effort.

"Back off boy, this doesn't concern you," the elder snapped, moving his hands from his pockets and positioning them in front of him in a fighting stance.

_A fire bender!_

"Sera! Move!" was all that could be heard as the elder launched a torrent of flame at Kea. Kea dodged, pushing Sera out of her seat and onto the floor. The flames caught the window, raising it into a small inferno as the younger man, Terus ran around the elder, pulling out two rocks from his pockets and flinging them at the helpless pair on the floor. Luckily, Kea was prepared and grabbed both rocks in mid air, turning them to dust in his hands.

Before the fight could continue within the Jade Dragon, Kea grabbed the shocked Sera and leaped out of the window, the fire singing some of his hair as he landed roughly in the city street, bruising his knee. Sera was completely immobile, not knowing what was going on. It was the first time she'd ever been attacked, even in training she had never had to face an opponent.

"Are you alright?" Kea asked, setting his student down on the ground. She nodded, shaking uncontrollably. "Good, just stay here."

He turned and faced the entrance of the Jade Dragon, watching as the two assailants walked out as if they had done nothing.

"What is wrong with you two? What did Sera do to you?" Kea roared, his aggressive side beginning to show. He wouldn't normally be upset this easily, but they just attacked him and his student.

_A fire bender and an earth bender. I'm at a serious disadvantage._

"Look boy, we don't want anyone to die. But if we must kill you to get her, then so be it," the elder nearly whispered.

"It'll be easier to just let us take her," the younger added.

"You didn't answer my question," Kea angrily replied, holding up both hands and forcing two boulders to form from the ground. He was not in the mood to play around.

"Nor should we," the elder said after examining Kea's stance. In an instant, he leaped forward and launched another torrent of flame, Kea blocking by forcing the two boulders together. The younger assailant forced up a wall of stone and pushed it towards Kea, Kea quickly holding his ground and punching through it before sending his boulders at the two before him. The elder jumped over the first boulder whilst the younger stopped the boulder with one hand, countering by pushing it back at Kea, who side-flipped to dodge it.

Around the battle, almost a hundred earth kingdom citizens gathered to watch, no one of authority around to help. Sera, who was now wearing off from the shock, stood slowly to watch the spectacle herself. She tried to summon up a rock from the ground, but unsuccessfully as she seemed to forget her forms. Everything turned to chaos as the younger assailant decided to take on Kea himself. He started by sending two slates of stone at Kea, his body moving in a circular fashion as he sent six more at the young teacher. Kea expertly kicked two out of the air, blocking four more with his hands before being knocked down by the last two. Quickly, he recovered, stomping the earth and softening the earth underneath the elder fire bender, trapping the old man halfway in the ground as he reached down and pulled up another boulder, hurling it at the other earth bender. The young attacker kicked through the boulder and sent two more slates at Kea who grabbed them mid-air. In a strange move, he slapped the two slabs together and formed what looked like a sword made of rock.

"Hmm…I can say I've never seen that before," Terus smirked as Kea got into one of his unique fighting stances.

"I made it myself," Kea replied.

"Kea! Watch out!" Sera yelled as the elder fire bender punched out at Kea, sending medium-sized fireballs at Sera's instructor. Kea spun his earth sword with mastery, dispatching the flames and charging the attackers. Terus jumped forward, landing hard on the ground and sending the earth underneath Kea into the air, sending Kea twenty feet high. He wasn't expecting that.

"Crap!" was all Kea could say before hitting the ground, rolling to minimize the punishment the hard earth made on his body. He was about to stand and continue his charge before Terus sent another boulder at him, knocking him to the ground again. As Kea was struck, his left ankle twisted, sending a shockwave of pain up and down his leg as he slid five feet backwards, his earth sword flying far to his left.

Terus, stomping the ground, released the elder fire bender, allowing him to move freely. Kea tried to stand, but unsuccessfully as he kneeled.

"We gave you the chance to give up. To surrender, but you decided death instead," the elder laughed as he charged his right hand to burn Kea alive. Sera, seeing this attempt, ran to Kea's side, grabbing him in her arms and holding him close.

"Sera! Get away!" Kea yelled in her face. But she didn't care. She held him closely as the fire bender was about to attack. She imagined the two of them being twenty feet from their current position, away from the attacking fire bender. She hoped and prayed the two of them could be safe from harm…and that's when it happened. When history itself changed…when a hundred earth kingdom citizens couldn't believe their eyes. Terus was the first to notice it when the brown sack attached to his belt went crazy. It pulled towards Sera with so much vigor he almost was swept from his feet. In an instant, just as the elder fire bender attacked, a cloud of black enveloped Kea and Sera and just like that, they disappeared…just as Sera hoped they would.

The blast of fire attacked nothing as Sera and Kea were ejected from a black hole that formed behind the assailants. Kea just gasped in shock as Sera's whole being emanated a black force that looked so alien, it might have been a dream. Terus looked behind him as he watched Kea and Sera land a little ways away.

"H-how in the hell did they-?" was all Terus could say right before he was taken by surprise. The other earth kingdom residents stared with gaping mouths at the sight. In under five seconds, Iroh appeared from an alleyway and apprehended the attackers, knocking them down and forcing them to submit without even fire bending. The fight was over…but not without cost.

"Are you okay?" was all Sera said as she blacked out, landing in Kea's lap unconscious. Kea still couldn't believe what happened. They were just about to be burned alive and then…then they were behind their attackers within an instant. This was definitely something to write home about in his book.

"Are you hurt?" Iroh ran to them after bringing down the attackers, the earth kingdom's police quickly showing up to arrest the assailants.

"Just a few scratches," Kea answered for them. "Thanks to her."

"Good. Come, bring her inside the shop. We should talk about this over some tea," Iroh offered, helping Kea stand as he held Sera in his arms. She was incredibly light he noticed, but he could feel a heavy burden on her.

As they left the scene, Kea looked over his shoulder to see the mysterious attackers being taken away in metal cuffs. He could manage a smile of relief as he looked at Iroh with hazy eyes.

"I think I've had enough tea for today, but I'll take up your offer."

**End of chapter 4! I know it's sudden, but I hope you guys liked it. Things are heating up! Please review =)**


	5. Punishment

**Chapter 5 - Punishment**

Kea just drank water. He needed it after that fight. Sera, who remained unconscious, was lying on her side on a stretch of pillows next to him. Iroh, who had come to their timely rescue, sat across from the earth bender, sipping jasmine tea. They had just sat down and he was not about to waste any time.

"Master Iroh-"

"Just Iroh is fine. Hahaha, I'm only a tea shop owner now!" Iroh laughed happily, placing his cup on the table gently. He placed his hands into his sleeves and looked to Sera. "Is she your student?"

"Yes she is, Iroh. But I'm not sure what to make of her now," he replied, following the elder's eyes to the small form on the floor.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…I don't think you were there to see it, but she saved both of our lives. We were about to be roasted alive, but she did…did something. I still don't know or believe it."

Iroh kept silent as Kea explained, his normally soft expression becoming a bit stern.

"You see, just as those two were about to finish us off, Sera grabbed me and before I knew it, we had somehow went from being in front of the attackers…to being behind them. Completely out of harms way of the fire bender. Not only that, but as this happened, I could see a strange aura surrounding her body. That was before she fell unconscious."

Iroh's eyes went wide at this, lifting an eyebrow at Sera as he carefully watched Kea. He heard right, but even he hadn't heard claims like this before. Dragons coming back was more believable than what Kea had just said.

"Sounds insane, doesn't it?" The earth bender asked, giving his usual blank stare. He didn't realize it, but his right hand was now holding Sera's arm as if he were expecting another attack soon. It was the first time he had ever had to defend someone else…and his first time every being attacked himself. He could have just been imagining it. He knew of stories of warriors going insane in battle. Maybe that was the case.

"Hmmm," Iroh considered as he sipped from his tea cup. He rubbed his beard as he stared at his table with intense eyes. "Your story doesn't sound possible. Even my friend Aang can't do that. But, this world has many mysteries, Kea. You may have uncovered one of them."

For some reason, Kea didn't like that explanation. He didn't want to see his student, a human being as an object of curiosity. A freak. Even though he had only known her for a week, she was his student. She was his responsibility for as long as he was instructing her.

Our of nowhere, the door to the Jade Dragon burst open, two recognizable women charging in with worried faces. It was their mothers.

"Well well, what a pleasant surprise. How may I help you?" Iroh asked, beginning to stand.

"No need," Kea's mother almost screeched. "We're taking our kids home."

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"Look mother, I-" but he was cut off as she held out her hand.

"Not a word, Kea! I can't believe you. Even if you were the one attacked, you still could have gotten yourself killed! Why didn't you run?"

"Mom, they were after Sera. I couldn't just let them take my student captive!" he defended, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

"The poor girl is hurt, and so are you! How will I convince Elsa to allow you to train her? She doesn't want you anywhere near her daughter anymore."

"Hmph! So I protect her and I get punished? Where's the logic in that?"

His mother didn't say another word. Instead, she just turned and walked out of their small home, closing the door violently.

_I get attacked, lose my student…what's next? A war? Might as well be._

He walked to his favorite spot in the house, the window sill. Sitting on it, he looked out at the wind chimes his mother put up over five years ago in celebration of the ending of the hundred year war. Normally, his mind would go blank from here, but instead his thoughts wandered to Sera. He was hoping she'd recover quickly from the incident.

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Almost another week passed. Kea, as his mother told him, was not allowed to see Sera. He was relieved to know she had woke up a day after the attack, but because of the incident, Elsa didn't trust him to be around her daughter. He still didn't understand why he was being blamed, but after a while, he began to not care.

"She's still my student," he would say every time the subject was brought up.

_Since when did I become so honorable and caring? So I failed as an instructor, big deal. I could always get a normal earth bender._

But maybe that was it. Sera was not normal and that's maybe why he was adamant about training her. He hated the boring normal life so much he detached himself from it whenever possible. Occasionally he would talk to Master Yong, but anything to remind him of routines turned him away immediately.

"Look sweetie," his mom would always say, "You can't always get what you want. That's part of life. Elsa just wants her daughter to be safe. I'm sure you can understand that."

"But that's the thing, she's not safe! Those men attacked because they wanted to kidnap her! She needs someone to protect her."

"And you think you're the one? Last time I heard, she saved you," his mother replied with a smirk and a raised eye brow. He had to admit, she got him there. Still, she only knew half of the truth. Everyone was told that she grabbed him and pulled him away from the flames. But only he knew the truth about Sera's secret. Him and Iroh.

_I hope Iroh doesn't go spreading the word._

"I need some time to think," he grumbled as he stepped out of the house, grabbing his green jacket on the way out.

Meanwhile, his student was standing underneath Hell Hill, her eyes peeled on the top. She only knew that her mom didn't want her talking to Kea, but she didn't know why. She was still his student and he still had an obligation to train her. Even though she was…different. Sera could vaguely recall what happened at that fateful moment when she saved Kea from death. When she did it, she felt herself coursing with a seemingly infinite amount of power. It was a strange sensation, but she wanted to know more.

_I haven't seen Kea in a week now, I wonder what he's up to?_

Her mind traveled about, thinking on her training with Kea and how much she had learned under his watchful eye. It didn't take her long to realize that she began to think of him as a friend despite their short time knowing each other. She hated their situation, truth be told. In a fit of spite, she began concentrating on the top of the hill, wanting to appear there just like she did when they were attacked. She hoped and prayed, concentrating hard on the hilltop.

"Come on…" she muttered through gritted teeth. "I did it once, I can do it again."

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't tap into that mysterious power she felt during the battle.

_I'm such an idiot. I can't teleport. Only in my dreams can I do that._

"Hey there," a voice called out, causing Sera to jump in surprise.

"Wha-what the?! Kea?!"

**End of chapter 5. Please review!**


	6. Investigation

** Lady Violet Fire: I appreciate your support! Thanks a bunch!**

**To everyone: I'm sorry it's been so long updating, I've just been going through moving to several different locations. Thanks for reading :D**

**Chapter 6 - Investigation**

Iroh spent the week traveling back to the fire nation. Although he didn't want to dig too deep, he saw what he saw. A small girl disappearing from one location and reappearing in another is not something he expected to ever witness. He knew there were incredibly gifted benders, but none like that. Thus, he decided it was a good idea to look this up. Maybe there was a history of it somewhere else in a different era?

He was unsure, but if there was a place to find the answer, it would be with the fire sages.

"A very unusual talent," he mumbled before his Pai Sho table. The ship he was hitching a ride on was only an hour from shore, which usually meant excited and loud sailors, but it was strangely quiet, giving him time to think. Not that he wanted to think too hard. He was an aged man, and he had plenty of time to think while on shore.

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"I figured I'd find you here," Kea said behind a smile as he approached Sera. He looked up Hell Hill momentarily as he tried to figure out what his former student was up to.

"You know we're not supposed to even be on the same street, let alone talk to each other," she replied quickly, looking around as if to see their mothers around the corner.

"I know…"

They stood in silence, but it didn't last too long. Kea, bold as ever, shot up the hill, using his earth bending skills to assist him as he ran. In two seconds he was at the top, looking down at Sera.

"Well, come on."

Sera was still unsure. She knew that her mother was extremely protective of her, not that she enjoyed it. Still, this was probably their only chance to really hang out for a long time. Taking one last glance towards the city gates, she moved up the hill, taking her time.

For an hour, they just sat on two clumps of earth, conversing about their mothers and what they thought of the social wall placed between them. They were no longer teacher and student, but that didn't mean they shouldn't talk.

"Sounds like they're afraid of another attack," Kea said as he chuckled. He looked at the ground between his feet, letting the sun bake the back of his neck.

"Yeah…" Sera almost whispered. "Hey Kea.."

"Yeah?"

"Were you scared, when they attacked?"

"…well yeah. Duh. I've never been attacked before. It's a strange sensation to almost get killed by a stranger."

"I see. I'm just glad we made it out of there," Sera laughed, picking up a stone and hurling it off the hill.

"I'm just glad you saved my life."

Those words seemed to strike a chord with Sera, because she suddenly became very serious. It was such a drastic change that even Kea was caught off guard.

"About that," she started. "I don't know what I did. For some reason, I became completely aware of everything and before I knew it, my will allowed me to move us away from danger. It was so hard to control it, like a rabid coyote-rat. A strange power overcame me and before I knew it, we were safe from harm."

Kea gazed at her silently, watching her fumbling with her hands.

"Sera-"

"Kea, what's wrong with me? What am I?" she asked, seemingly desperate.

"…I don't know. But whatever you are, it's something special. You're obviously not an earth bender," he answered, grinning towards the end to brighten the mood.

Sera successfully hid her true feelings behind a mask of laughter. She felt like the sore thumb, the black sheep, the ugly duckling. Not only did no one know what she was, but she didn't even know. It was as bad as looking into a mirror and not seeing your reflection.

They spent over three hours on the top of Hell Hill, both swapping strange stories of when they were younger. Both of them temporarily forgot their restrictions as well as Sera's "condition". It wasn't until the sun began disappearing over the horizon that they decided to split.

"Hey Kea. Can you be here tomorrow?" Sera asked, standing near the gate into Ba Sing Se.

"Y-yeah, sure," he said with a shrug.

"Thanks. See you at noon!"

With that, Sera sped off, heading home. Kea just rubbed the back of his neck as he slowly trekked his way to his house.

_Today was a good day._

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Two days had passed and Iroh still hadn't found what he was looking for. He was searching for information on strange bending techniques seen once in a generation. Nothing came up that matched what he was looking for. He placed the seventeenth scroll he had to his left and pulled another scroll from the pile of hundreds.

_There's got to be something here, _he reminded himself. The small candle he used illuminated the dusty basement in which he sat. It gave him an air of mystery it seemed.

His old eyes scanned the dusty page with intense concentration, but again, nothing came up. He took a small sip from his canteen, grabbing yet another scroll from the pile. Unfurling it, he saw _exactly _what he was looking for. Reading through the very long page, he confirmed it was what he was seeking.

_Kea might want to know about this._

**Short chapter I know, but that's because I'm working on the next one, which is much longer.**

**Please R&R! :D**


	7. Fifth Element

**Chapter 7 - Fifth Element**

The two friends had been secretly meeting at different locations on different days for over a week and a half, neither being suspected of doing so. Kea felt some sense of mischievous joy from the experience, making him look brighter than usual. His walls of uninterested behavior were starting to collapse. Sera was having an effect on his outlook of things, much to his surprise.

Today they were going to meet near the northern gate of the city, but at the moment he needed to do some gathering of food for his mother. He took his normal walk-about of Ba Sing Se, the stone click-clacking under his shoes as he walked to the newly made merchant's district.

_Let's see…two bags of potatoes, spices from Lee…and Iroh? _His mind trailed off as he caught sight of the elderly fire bender standing fifteen feet directly in front of him. Iroh smiled briefly and motioned for Kea to follow him. Kea wasn't about to argue, so he walked with Iroh down the street a bit.

"Good to see you again, thought you left the city for good or something," Kea said as they turned left and headed into a small alleyway. The place was dark and empty, only the dust beneath their feet present.

"Yes, well, your young student took my interest immediately and now I've got some answers as to 'what she is'."

Iroh sat cross-legged on the ground, placing the pack he had on his shoulders onto the ground between them. Kea followed suit, watching the master pull out a scroll and unfurl it. Iroh used some stones to hold the scroll down.

"What am I looking at?" Kea asked blindly as he looked over a scroll presenting the four elements with a few notes beside them.

"Exactly," Iroh answered. "What are we looking at?"

"Uhm…a depiction of the four elements encased in a circle?" he replied, almost suspecting a trick question.

"But what's in between them?" Iroh asked, watching Kea as the young earth bender scanned the picture. Kea rubbed his head and looked up at Iroh sheepishly.

"Nothing."

"That's what she is," Iroh explained, "She bends nothingness."

Kea just stared at him, eyes glazing over.

"I suppose I need to explain myself."

Kea nodded.

"I looked into cases like this. And I found two scrolls that depicted a power that you mentioned. The ability to move from one area to another instantly. This power seems to be linked to the avatar. You see, the opposite of fire is water, air's opposite is earth as you know. Well, the avatar is everything…so what's the opposite of the avatar?"

"Nothing."

"That's what I found out. Whenever the avatar is born, a 'nothingness bender' appears. It was named the fifth element: void. Void is nature's way of creating an opposite to the avatar. Just as powerful and harder to control, a void bender can do almost anything with their power, even tear open portals from one area to another. That's what Sera did to save your life."

Kea couldn't believe what Iroh was telling him, it spat in the face of everything he'd been raised to know. But there was no other explanation for the incredible ability that Sera seemed to unknowingly possess. Kea traced his hand over the unfurled scroll before him, thinking things through.

"So every time an avatar is born, a void bender is made? But wait, Sera is younger than Avatar Aang. How's that possible?"

"According to these old scrolls, void benders are not born, they just become. Sera was probably born a void bender, but the last void bender must've died during the war."

Kea examined the possibilities. _Over a hundred years passed since Aang's birth. Which means at least one other void bender existed during his lifetime, probably two. Which means Sera is the third void bender made during Aang's lifetime so far._

"Is there anything else on void benders?" Kea asked. He folded his arms across his chest and wrapped his mind further on the severity of it all. This was history in the making.

"Nothing else, except that the two other void benders documented by past fire sages both attacked avatars. According to the scrolls, the more capable a void bender becomes, the more unstable they seem to be. Avatar Kotuk and Avatar Rene were both killed by the void benders they came in contact with."

"And what happened to the void benders after killing the avatars?"

"They died," Iroh simply put. In an instant, Kea imagined Sera losing control and causing the death of Avatar Aang. It was almost too much to handle.

"So what do you think we should do?" Kea asked worryingly. His student was a possible harbinger of doom, not too many teachers can say that.

"I wish I knew Kea. But Avatar Aang must know of this."

_So this is what those two men that attacked us wanted. They wanted Sera for her power. But for what purpose? To kill the avatar?_

Kea finally accepted what he was told, hard as it was to swallow. Standing stiffly and cracking his neck, he agreed to allow Iroh to inform Aang of the situation.

"But if you go to Aang, I'm going with," Kea answered.

"Are you sure? It's a long journey, your mother will be-"

"She'll understand. And I'm bringing Sera with. I'll even tell her what she is. It's too dangerous for her to stay here. If those two men were looking for her, there may be others as well." Kea was sure of it, Ba Sing Se was not a safe place to be.

"Okay, she can come with, but I don't know if it's such a great idea," Iroh argued, placing the scroll back into his bag and standing to walk with Kea back onto the main street. "Because we can't predict what a void bender will do. If she becomes aware of her abilities, she could suffer the same fate as the others. She could lose herself in the process."

"No she won't," Kea shot down, keeping himself firm on the subject. "I'll make sure of it."

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Terus, the young earth bender that attacked Kea and Sera, sat in his small earth kingdom cell, the elderly fire bender in the cell next to him.

"Bauran," Terus whispered, calling out to the elder. The older man remained silent, but answered the call.

"What Terus?"

"I think we can get out of here. I found a weak spot in the walls here," Terus whispered back, watching to make sure no guard was within earshot. He'd been in earth kingdom prisons before, but this one took quite a bit of time to examine.

Bauran turned, watching Terus explain his plan, after which he smirked and said the following: "good, and once we're gone, we'll let the master know we've found her."

**Thanks for reading folks! And thank you again VioletFire for being supportive. Please review and I'll get back with you all very soon!**


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